


The Last Five Years

by derivedfromstrong



Series: Five Years Collection [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-03-20 02:22:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18983263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derivedfromstrong/pseuds/derivedfromstrong
Summary: A sort of fix-it fic... but mostly a look into the missing five years of Pepper and Tony's life together that we didn't get to see in Avengers: Endgame. Caution, there will be spoilers in this story.





	1. Prologue - 2018

 

**_The Snap_ **

“FRIDAY, what’s going on?” Pepper asked the moment she heard the emergency broadcast signals alerting them that something was happening. She had been trying her hardest to keep her mind occupied and not thinking about Tony heading up into space… hoping that somehow he was okay. 

_I_ _’_ _m unsure_ _…_ _there appears to be a strange phenomenon_ _occurring_ _around the world right now. World population rates are dropping_ _…_ _and fast._

Pepper’s heart beat quicker, realizing that Tony was stuck in space. Was he seeing this? Did he know what was happening? Was he _alive_? “FRIDAY, alert emergency services and activate security protocols, lock everything down.”

_Already_ _done._ _Powering down all company arc-reactors,_ the AI alerted her. _Shall I contact the Avengers?_

“I’m sure they already know… but send Colonel Rhodes an update… and page Happy Hogan.” Pepper said, heading to her room to pack a bag. She was on auto-pilot, knowing exactly where she was going to go. She didn’t want to go there, but she knew in circumstances like this that it was the safest place she could go. Soon, Happy’s voice came up on speaker phone.

“Pepper, what’s happening?” Happy’s voice was frantic and she could’ve sworn she heard him honking the car horn while he drove. “People are just _disappearing_. Turning into dust.”

“I don’t know, Happy… but we have to get to the compound upstate, we have to figure out what’s going on,” Pepper said, taking a deep breath as she tried to stay calm. “Will you come pick me up?” 

“I’ll be there in fifteen… shit,” Happy’s phone call cut off for a moment and Pepper feared the worst until she heard the car horn again. “Pepper, I’ll be there in ten.” 

Quickly packing a bag, she checked her phone to see if maybe there was a notification from anyone. When Happy arrived, she grabbed her things and the two of them headed out to Avengers HQ. Whether or not anyone would join them was entirely up in the air. 

A few days later, the team returned. Pepper noticed they were more broken and defeated than she had ever seen them before. They seemed surprised to see Happy and Pepper there, but understood she was probably there looking for Tony… and she was equally heartbroken to realize her fiancé wasn’t there with them. 

“Miss Potts… I’m sorry,” Steve was the first one to speak up. But Pepper held up a finger, telling him to stop talking. 

“You don’t get to say you’re sorry,” Pepper looked at him. She wasn’t sure she could forgive him for what he put Tony through, but she was willing to set aside their differences for now. “But I need to know what happened.”

While Happy tried to get in contact with May Parker and a few other people, Pepper sat with the rest of the team in the conference room. Listening to every word they talked about:  _Thanos, Infinity Stones, gauntlet, snap, space invasion_ … it all sounded so familiar and foreign to her.

Later that night, she was sitting in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee when Rhodey found her there. Pepper had been numb for most of the day, but here she was, tears streaming down her face. When she saw him standing there, she wiped off her cheeks. “He’s not coming home… is he?”

“You don’t know that, Pep,” Rhodey said, offering a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “He’s come back before.” Rhodey had known Tony for longer, but their friendship had endured much of the same panic and heartbreak that Tony often brought. 

Pepper was so used to Tony leaving and coming home, that even though she tried to brace herself for his death, she was still heartbroken.  _He_ _’_ _s come back before -_ that was all she could hope for right now.

**_Three Weeks, Post Snap_ **

It was a week after the team returned back from Wakanda when someone came to HQ. Her name was Carol Danvers and she came all the way from Space. She appeared after they were fiddling with the pager they found with Director Fury’s belongings, demanding answers to questions no one knew how to answer. 

They had been working tirelessly to see what they could to do. Rocket had been trying to connect to different satellites to see if he could connect to his spaceship. Steve, Natasha, and Bruce were compiling a list of missing persons, watching the numbers continue to grow every second. While Thor… well, sulked. Pepper was still acting CEO of the company. Working remotely from the compound, she canceled all Stark Industries projects indefinitely, making sure the company’s focus would be on the helping those affected by the snap. 

“FRIDAY, what’s the status of the Stark emergency funds?” Pepper asked, typing vigorously as she read through some emails from remaining board members. 

_Funds are intact. Several employees are seeking_ _financial assistance_ _…_ _mainly for_ _bereavement services._

“I figured as much. We’ll give all employees compensation,” Pepper told the AI, filling out the paperwork for it. She was typing away when she heard a knock on the door. “Yeah?” She looked up from her computer and saw Rhodey peeking through. The look in his eyes brought her something she hadn’t had in a while - hope.

Heading with him to the conference room, everyone was gathered around the screens. A hologram message paused in front of them. When they saw Pepper, they played the message and watched as Pepper’s emotions turned from relief to heartbroken in a matter of seconds.

_Hey Miss Potts_ _…_

“And when was this sent?” Pepper asked, swallowing the lump in her throat as tears began to sting her eyes. 

“As far as we know… hours ago,” Rocket said. “The transmission was damaged, I can’t get an accurate reading on when it was sent, but the signal is there. If I can just try to trace it back, I can get the location for it.”

“Do it,” Pepper looked at them. “He deserves to come home.”

It was late when Rocket found the signal, finally locating the ship. Carol flew into space to retrieve it and everyone waited anxiously. Pepper herself tried to go to bed, but found herself wide awake, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if this would finally be her greatest fear come true. 

However, it was after midnight when the compound began to shake. For a moment, Pepper thought it was an earthquake, but soon realized this was it. Grabbing her robe, she ran from her room heading outside. She wasn’t even wearing shoes, but she didn’t care at this point. Her heart was beating fast as Carol was landing the spaceship on the ground and she didn’t even notice the others running out too.

Soon it was the moment of truth. The back of the spaceship opened up and Pepper’s breath was taken away when she saw Tony being held up by someone as they carefully made their way back onto Earth. For a moment, Pepper couldn’t even move. She was worried this was all a dream, but when she saw Steve running over to help Tony, she knew this was real. 

The two men were chatting about something when she finally ran over. Making eye contact with her fiancé, Pepper was relieved and worried, but so happy. “Oh my god…” she looked at him in disbelief for a moment before wrapping her arms around him. “Oh my god.”

She could literally feel Tony’s sigh of relief as she hugged him and soon stepped back to look at her, then leaned in to kiss her cheek. “It’s okay,” he spoke, voice barely a whisper right now. Heading back inside, they brought Tony over to the medical wing so he could get checked out.

“I’m fine, let me talk with them,” Tony insisted, trying to pull out the IVs they were just putting in.

“Tony… honey,” Pepper looked at him. “You’ve been in space for three weeks. You can talk to them later, let’s just get some fluids in you.”

Although he wanted to argue, Tony didn’t have the strength to argue and when he saw the look Pepper was giving him, he was asleep minutes later.

She slept at his bedside that night. Pepper was worried that if she didn’t stay close to him, that she’d lose him for good this time. 

“We should get married right now,” Tony’s voice filled the room that morning. 

Stirring awake, Pepper opened her eyes and looked at him. “Excuse me?” 

“We should get find someone to come marry us and just sign the paperwork. Right here, right now.” Tony looked at her. 

Shaking her head, Pepper looked over his frail and gaunt figure. Tony looked like a shell of himself… and for a moment thought he was hallucinating. “You know I want to marry you more than anything in the world right now, but I think we need to wait a little longer. Just a little, I promise.” She already knew they weren’t going to have the wedding they’d been trying to plan the past year, but whatever they ended up doing would be enough in the end. “Please rest. You’re exhausted.” 

Though, she knew he wouldn’t be able to rest. Barely a few hours later he was back in the conference room, in a wheelchair with his IV attached, talking with the team about what had happened. Pepper knew she wouldn’t be able to keep him in his bed, so she let him go. She headed down to the kitchen to see if she could make anything to eat.

While she was brewing some coffee, Pepper soon noticed the blue woman that had come off the ship with Tony - soon learning her name was Nebula. She was quiet, as if she didn’t want to be seen. But Pepper looked at her. “Thank you for taking care of him…” she said, offering her a soft smile. “I owe you so much.”

Nebula nodded, acknowledging her before heading back to where the others were. Pepper shrugged and went back to her coffee. It felt unreal, knowing Tony was home and relatively okay. She wasn’t sure if anything would ever be normal again… but at least they could try.

However, she was soon alerted that Tony had collapsed and she immediately ran back to find Bruce sedating him. “What happened?” She asked, throwing accusing eyes over at the team. Rhodey closed the door after Pepper came in and explained what was going on. Sitting beside the bed, she reached for Tony’s hand and thanked Rhodey for the update. She watched as Rhodey took off Tony’s glasses and wished them a good night before heading out. 

Kissing the top of Tony’s hand, she sighed softly. “Tony… I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Then, as soon as Tony gained back his strength and wasn’t completely skin and bones anymore, he and Pepper left Avengers HQ and didn’t turn back. He was done and for now, that was enough.

**__T__ _wo Months, Post-Snap_ **

"We want you both to be there, please,” Pepper looked at their friends from across the table. “Look, we know it’s not the wedding we’d been planning, but given everything that’s happened, we just want to get married. Plus, we need a witness and who better than you two?"

Rhodey and Happy grinned when they heard Pepper’s request. The three of them were seated at a little coffee shop downtown. The city was still in shambles, but now that months had passed, people were trying to pick up the pieces and move on. Businesses closed while other’s opened. Many stores that had been looted upon the initial crisis were back operating with business as usual. Although everyone was still on edge, they had to continue.

“We’ll be there,” Happy told her, grinning when he saw the way Pepper lit up. He had been rooting for Tony and Pepper since day one and he wouldn’t miss this for the world.

“You don’t have to dress up super fancy or anything, but be here at this time. I just hope Tony will like the surprise,” Pepper smiled as she bit off a piece of her croissant and gave them the day and time to show up at the courthouse. “There is something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Are you two…?” Rhodey looked at her, insinuating that Pepper was expecting.

“Pregnant? No… definitely not,” Pepper told him. That was something she hadn’t discussed with Tony yet. Especially not after that dream he had… and especially not after what happened to Peter. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed,” Rhodey told her, though Pepper could pick up a slight hint of disappointment in his eyes. 

Pepper smiled and shook her head. “It’s all right,” she reassured him. “I wanted to tell you that we’re moving out of the city soon. Tony bought this gorgeous little house out by a lake, far away from here. We just need to be away from here.”

The two men grinned, looking at their friend. “That’s fantastic to hear. If you need any help moving, we’re here for you,” Happy reassured her. “You both deserve this."

It felt good telling people that. Seeing as Tony resigned from avenging for now, Pepper was going to enjoy every moment while it lasted. 

A couple days later, Pepper and Tony stood in city hall, waiting for their appointment to see the judge. Pepper, in a white midi dress with a matching blazer, stood beside Tony, holding his hand while they waited. Soon, Rhodey and Happy appeared in their business casual gear, grinned when they saw the genuine look of surprise on Tony’s face. 

Soon, they signed on the dotted line and were officially married. They shared their first kiss as a married couple in front of a judge, it wasn’t what they planned, but this was perfect. 

After taking a couple pictures and making sure they filled out the rest of the paperwork, the four went back to their apartment to have a nice dinner. It was a good night filled with fun stories and great times. After Rhodey and Happy left for the night, Pepper and Tony enjoyed this moment.

While they laid in bed that night, Pepper leaned over to kiss Tony’s cheek. She looked over at the wedding bands on their fingers and smiled. “I’m so happy,” she told him. 

“You didn’t get to wear the beautiful white dress or walk down the aisle in front of everyone,” Tony sighed, looking over at Pepper - his _wife_. “I’m sorry.”

“Tony… this was so much more than I ever could’ve asked for,” Pepper reassured him. “I got to marry you and I couldn’t ask for anything better. I love you.”

“We got lucky,” Tony said, pulling her close. “We got a second chance. I promise I won’t screw it up this time.” He kissed her gently and held her close. He still hadn’t been sleeping well since he came back from space. Nothing would ever truly be the same. He still felt like a fraud with all this happiness he had been given. He didn’t deserve to be happy after he lost Peter or after half of all living creatures disappeared. But if Pepper was here to reassure him why this was okay, then he’d do his best to live with it. She was technically the boss.

They left the city about a week after their wedding. Even though Tony wasn’t going to be a part of the Avengers anymore, he gave Rhodey his address and instructed him that he could tell the team if they wanted. But he was done, effectively retired. He wanted to live this life with Pepper and hopefully maybe start a family soon. He wished them all luck, but he was done.

Arriving to the little cabin (or as Tony described it, an ‘eco-lodge’), Pepper was impressed by its simplicity. Something about it was so unexpected, but perfect at the same time. This was their home now… and she couldn’t wait. 


	2. Year One - 2019

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper and Tony get the surprise of their life...

He didn’t sleep much these days - that hadn’t changed. Tony often found himself lying awake at night, Pepper in his arms, still wondering how he got so damn lucky when so many didn’t. Most nights he just stayed in bed and waited until sleep eventually came, but other times, he traveled downstairs to sit at his work table, working on whatever he could. Even though he was done, his mind was never stopped. 

However, this particular morning, Tony awoke to the sounds of Pepper heaving in the bathroom. For a minute he thought he was imagining it, but when he heard her heaving again, he dragged himself out of bed and went over to the door. Knocking gently, he leaned up against it. “Pep… you okay?”

Pepper stood over the toilet, mind panicking as she realized this was the millionth time she had to run in here the past couple weeks. She had missed a cycle - she thought it had been a coincidence, considering there she had been stressed out about lately. However, when she started to put the pieces together the other day, she didn’t want to believe it.

Flushing the toilet, she went over to the sink to wash up when she heard another knock and the door opened. Tony peeked inside, looking at his wife. Pepper sighed, shaking her head. “I’m fine…”

“You don’t sound fine… let alone look fine,” Tony shook his head when he saw her. Her face was pale, which made the dark circles under her eyes look more noticeable. “Pep, you should really go to the doctor. I know this isn’t the first time you’ve had to run to the bathroom.”

Pepper looked at him, she was silent, but the look in her eyes told him everything. 

“How long have you known?” Tony asked, trying to be calm. He knew if he started panicking, then Pepper would too, and that was the last thing they needed right now. 

“At least a couple days… I haven’t taken a test or anything, but I’m pretty certain it’d come out positive.” Pepper sighed, shaking her head when Tony reached for her. “No… I feel gross.”

Tony laughed and pulled her in for a hug anyway, kissing her forehead before pulling her in close. “I mean… this isn’t how we planned on starting a family, but there’s no turning back now, right?” 

Of course it terrified him, knowing they were going to welcome a child into this broken world. Holding Pepper tight, he smiled. A long time ago he wouldn’t have ever imagined being married or starting a family, but there wasn’t anyone else he wanted to do this with more than Pepper. “I love you,” he said, kissing her temple.

“I love you, too,” Pepper said, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. This may not have been the way she expected any of this to happen, but he was right - there was no turning back now. She let him hold her a little longer before looking at him. “Take a shower with me…” she said, reaching for his hand. 

~

Pepper glowed - and it wasn’t an exaggeration. Tony watched his wife while she was standing over the stove, cooking some recipe that she insisted on making for Tony. Now that she was a few months along and her morning sickness was gone, Pepper was constantly craving something new. And he never argued when it came to her cravings. She was carrying his child and he’d do whatever she asked him to. But she was so happy while sautéing the onions garlic in a pan, he couldn’t help but watch.

“Are you going to keep ogling me, or are you going to give me the parsley that you’re holding?” Pepper asked, not even needing to turn around to know Tony was standing there.

“Sorry, you just look so beautiful,” Tony laughed as he brought the small bunch of herbs over to the sink to rinse them off. “Rhodey said he could come by in a couple days, they’re following some leads on something that happened in Italy.”

For that, Pepper did turn around to look at him. “What kind of lead?” She knew Tony wasn’t involved with any of that anymore, but they did try to keep up with Rhodes. 

“Some lead on where Barton is,” Tony shrugged, turning around to look at his wife. “Apparently a lot of mob guys were found slaughtered…” he paused, seeing the look in Pepper’s face. “But they’re taking care of it. Now, what are you making me again?”

Pepper could see the look on Tony’s face, wondering if he missed being super involved, but hearing his last question, she smiled. “It’s a _surprise_. I don’t want to spoil it,” she laughed and turned back to the stove, turning off the heat. “How’s cleaning up the room going for you?”

“Oh you know… cleaning up a bunch of random stuff we stored in that room is my favorite thing to do,” Tony laughed, moving to the fridge to find some of the green juice they had made earlier that day. “It’s fine actually. Getting the room ready for him.”

“Oh, so the baby’s a boy now?” Pepper laughed, looking back at him. “You know, these are going to be some very long months for you.” She decided that she didn’t want to know the sex of their baby. Especially not after Tony had that dream a long time ago.

Tony ran and hand through his hair, laughing when he heard her. “Well, it was Morgan, after your eccentric uncle, I’m just going with what my mind was telling me,” he told her. “Come on, Pep… aren’t you at least a little bit curious?”

Shaking her head, she laughed and looked at him. “Of course I am,” she said. “I don’t know, the surprise of it all seems so perfect.” She shrugged. “I prefer to be surprised, but if you want to know, I won’t stop you.”

“Now that’s dangerous,” Tony warned her, sipping his juice as he leaned against the counter. “That doesn’t seem fair for me to know and not be able to tell anyone.”

“Use the knowledge to your advantage.” Pepper shrugged before turning back to the stove. “Now, will you grab the sausage from the fridge please?” 

Tony obliged, opening the fridge to look for what she was asking for. This was all so domestic, but wonderful at the same time. He said a while ago that he wanted to build Pepper a farm, so he did… and now they were going to have a baby. God… why did it have to be the end of the world that finally brought them together like this?

“Tony?” Pepper turned to see him staring aimlessly into the fridge. “You okay?”

“Always,” he said, grabbing the package Pepper needed before closing the fridge. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

~

They found out it was a girl by accident. The ultrasound tech let it slip, automatically assuming they wanted to know, but Pepper was too elated to be upset. “A little girl,” she smiled, looking at the baby on the screen in front of them.

For some reason, knowing it was a girl made Tony infinitely more nervous about becoming a father. It was one of those things where he wasn’t sure why he felt he could handle it better if the baby was a boy, but he started questioning himself. There was no way he wanted to be like this own father had been toward him. Hell, how could he be a dad if he couldn’t even protect Peter?

He was uncharacteristically quiet the ride home. “Tony… what are you thinking?” Pepper looked at him.

“I was thinking about how excited Peter would be to find out we’re having a baby,” Tony told her. “But I’m also thinking about how terrified I am about all of this. Pep, what if I’m not a good dad? Hell, I had a terrible father.”

"Tony… listen to me,” Pepper sighed softly and looked at him. “I don’t think anyone ever knows what’s going to happen when they start a family. Are we going to be perfect? Probably not. Will we make mistakes? Absolutely. But am I excited to do this with you? I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Laughing when he heard her asking and answering her own questions, Tony glanced at his wife. “Why do you always know the right things to say?”

“I’ve had _years_  of practice,” Pepper smiled back at him. “I love you, Tony. I know a lot has happened, but we’re going to be fine. We’re having a baby in a few months how wild is that?"

~

Pepper went into labor on an unseasonably warm Spring night. Tony, wildly nervous as he drove his wife to the hospital, pointed out their daughter was going to be an Aries: passionate, motivated, and wildly confident… a perfect mix of both her parents. Their daughter was going to rule the world one day.

“And that’s important, because?” Pepper said, gripping the handle as she breathed through a particularly painful contraction. 

“It’s not, but I thought it’d keep your mind off the pain,” Tony said, staying his best to stay calm. A calm Tony meant a calm Pepper and a calm Pepper meant… 

“ _Shit_ … Tony. Drive!” Pepper’s voice broke his train of thought and he was quiet the rest of the car ride. 

He texted Rhodey and Happy when they were admitted to the hospital. He debated whether or not to send a message to the rest of the team. He hadn’t personally told them they were expecting, but he knew they found out through the news or from Rhodey, because he had gotten a couple congratulations texts from Bruce and Natasha… and he even got a text from May Parker - though, he never answered them. 

However, he never got to answer or send any other texts as his attention soon went to Pepper; holding her hand as she squeezed through every contraction she had, whispering reassuring affirmations in her ear, he wasn’t going to leave her now. “You’ve got this,” he told her. “You’re the strongest woman I know.”

Morgan H. Stark was born seventeen hours after Pepper’s labor started. She came into the world loud, wriggling, and had lots of dark hair. The doctor placed the baby on Pepper’s chest while nurses cleaned her up. A lump formed in Tony’s throat and his eyes stung with tears the moment he heard his daughter crying. Kissing Pepper’s temple, he was beside himself as took a look at his daughter for the first time.

Pepper was crying, but also laughing with relief that it was all over. The baby began to quiet down as she settled down on her mother’s chest. Pepper counted all of her fingers and toes, then gently stroked Morgan’s cheek. “Welcome to the world, little one,” she tearfully laughed, then looked up at Tony, smiling at him.

“I love you,” Tony said, kissing her again. Looking down at their daughter, he smiled. “I love you, too…”

“I’m sorry for anything terrible I said to you,” Pepper told him, though she was focused entirely on their brand new daughter in her arms. 

Tony laughed and kissed her again. “I forgive you… you weren’t too mean anyway,” he told her. Tony couldn’t keep his eyes off their daughter. She was perfect. How did they manage to make something so perfect?

He sent a text to their friends, letting them know the baby was here, then put his phone down so he could be with Pepper and their daughter. That night was mostly a blur, but when Pepper soon took a nap, he took Morgan into his arms. 

The baby fussed for a little bit, she had been comfortable in her mother’s arms, so Tony took her and rested her against his chest, allowing her to listen to his heartbeat. “How’s this?” He asked, kissing the top of his daughter's forehead. “Listen here, little miss… This is your dad talking to you,” he started, smiling when the baby quieted down. “This is new for me, I don’t really know how it’s going to go, but I know I’m going to do my damn best to make sure you and your mom are taken care of. I might not be perfect, but I’m going to try my hardest. I love you and your mom so much.” 

When Pepper woke up later, she smiled when she saw Tony napping with Morgan on his chest. It warmed her heart to see them together, knowing this was all so real. The fact they were given a chance to do this meant more to her than anything else. She knew Tony was going to be an amazing dad. 

Watching as he opened his eyes, Pepper smiled at him. “Hey,” she said, chuckling when he moved carefully so he wouldn’t wake the baby. “How’s she doing?”

“Morguna and I are doing great,” Tony said, patting their daughter’s back as he sat up.

“Morguna?” Pepper looked at him. “She’s barely a day old and you’ve already given her a nickname?”

“Of course I did. Just like when I met you,” Tony grinned. He wasn’t going to screw this up like his father did with him. He was going to do anything he possibly could to protect his wife and daughter. “So… when do we get to bring her home?"

~

They only had to stay a couple days in the hospital and as soon as they got home, they were greeted with flowers and food from Rhodey and Happy, both there to meet the new baby. When Pepper carefully pulled Morgan from the carseat, she could’ve sworn Happy started crying almost immediately.

“Hey Squirt,” he told the infant as Pepper carefully placed her in his arms. “I’ll hang out with you whenever you want. She’s precious.”

It was the gentlest Pepper had ever seen Happy, but she knew they’d be good friends. While Happy held the baby, she went to talk with Rhodey and Tony.

“I know you’re not really speaking with them, but the team did send this,” Rhodey said, handing Tony a card addressed to the new family. “They really are happy for you two.”

“We know,” Pepper cut in. She could tell Tony looked hurt, but she knew the team meant well. “We’ll make sure to send a thank you card,” she told him. “Thank you James.”

They spent a few hours with Rhodey and Happy before they both left and the family of three could begin their lives together. Tony placed Morgan in Pepper’s arms as they sat on the sofa together. “How are you feeling, Mrs. Stark?”

“Like I’ve just won the lottery,” Pepper grinned at her husband, gently rocking her daughter in her arms. “How are you doing?”

“I feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now,” Tony smiled back. “I can’t help but think about Peter and how I never really wanted a family until I met him, realized maybe being a dad wouldn’t be so bad at all…” he paused. “I miss him so much, Pep. He would’ve been thrilled to meet her.”

“I know. He’d love her so much,” Pepper said, reaching over to stroke his cheek. “Morgan and I love you so much. Nothing’s going to change that.”

Tony grinned when he heard her, then looked over at Morgan, leaning over to kiss her little head. “Welcome home, Morguna… you’re going to love it here."


	3. Year Two - 2020

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Pepper are enjoying their life by the lake with their daughter, but underneath all that happiness lies a sadness that Tony hasn't been able to shake off quite yet.

“Look out, here comes the Mighty Morguna!” Tony announced as he held his giggling daughter in his arms, making her ‘fly'. 

Pepper smiled when she heard them coming into the room. She was reading a book when she looked over to see Tony holding their daughter. The look of pure joy on their faces made her heart soar. “What are you doing over there?”

“Flyin',” Morgan giggled before Tony turned over over and began to tickle her stomach. She kicked her little legs, wiggling in his arms. “Oh no!” 

Even though their daughter was only one and a half, her vocabulary was expanding everyday. Pepper laughed as she heard her daughter squealing as her dad tickled her. “Tony, not too much,” she warned him. “Remember, we don’t want her trying to bite you again.”

“Oh, she’s fine, we talked about that… right Morguna?” Tony said, holding her up again. “No more biting people, ever.”

“No mo’,” Morgan agreed, reaching for her mom. “Mommy!” 

Setting her book aside, Pepper laughed as she got up to save her daughter. “Don’t worry, Mommy’s coming to rescue you,” she said, wiggling her way to get Morgan from Tony’s hands. Once she had her daughter, she kissed the little girl’s cheek and held her close. “I think it’s nap time soon,” she said.

“No naps,” Morgan pouted, giving her mother the classic Pepper Potts pout mixed with Tony’s puppy dog eyes. Then right on cue, she yawned and rested her head on her mom’s shoulder.

Pepper chuckled, realizing that look was going to get them in so much trouble as Morgan got older. It was already hard convincing Tony not to buy their daughter everything, but she knew if Morgan asked for a pony, he’d have no problem buying her one. Rubbing her daughter’s back, she held her close. “Yes, nap time…” she said softly and kissed her daughter’s head. 

Morgan’s eyes drifted shut as Pepper swayed back and forth. Even though Morgan had objected to her nap, she was asleep almost instantly. “I’ll go put her down,” Pepper smiled over at Tony before climbing the stairs to bring their daughter to her room. Gently resting the toddler down in her crib, she draped a blanket over before turning on the baby monitor and left the room. 

Heading back downstairs, she looked over at Tony. “I can’t believe she’s going to be two soon. Where did time go?” 

“I know right? She’s already so smart too,” Tony said, reaching to take her hand, pulling her in close for a quick hug and kiss. 

Pepper smiled against his lips, chuckling at the sudden burst of affection. “You’re very lovey-dovey today,” she said, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “What’s on your mind?”

Tony shook his head with a grin. “Just thinking how lucky I am. I’ve got this amazing wife and daughter, what more could I ask for?”  

“Mhmm,” Pepper kissed his forehead before wiggling out of his arms. “Want to go sit outside for a bit?” 

“Sure,” Tony squeezed her hand before letting go so they could go outside. The weather had been nice the past few weeks, even though they knew they should begin preparing for fall soon. It meant they’d be doing a lot of harvesting in the next few weeks. 

Sitting down, Tony pulled Pepper into his lap, so they could look over the lake together. Pepper grinned as his arms snaked around her waist and she felt him kiss her shoulder. “You sure nothing’s on your mind?”

“Today’s Peter’s birthday…” Tony eventually spoke up, holding Pepper close. “I messed up, Pep. He shouldn’t have been in space with me.”

Pepper ran her hand through his hair, which she noticed was starting to get lighter. They didn’t talk about what happened up in space very often, but she was always willing to listen when they did. It had taken her while to explain to him that even if Peter hadn’t been on that planet with him, the same result probably would’ve happened. There was no way to really tell what could’ve happened. 

“Tony, he made the decision on his own to follow you up there,” she said softly, looking at him. “Peter was fully aware of the risk he was taking. He’s known that risk ever since he put on the Spider-Man suit. He was willing to do whatever to help you. He looked up to you.”

“And that’s the worst part,” Tony sighed, hanging his head. “I wanted him to be better. Make better decisions. I was going to call May today, but I chickened out. Sent Happy to give her flowers for me. I’m pretty sure she hates me.”

Pepper shook her head. “She sent us a card for Morgan’s birthday, I’m sure she doesn’t hate you,” she told him. “Look at me… you’re not a bad person for what happened. I like to think Peter would be so happy for us.” Moving so she could wrap her arms around him, Pepper held him close. “Did you want to go to the city, see what’s going on? I have to go on Monday to do something for work, we can bring Morgan along. We’d only be there for the day."

“I love you, Pep. I don’t know how I got so damn lucky.” He soon leaned in to kiss her again. He knew he couldn’t take this second chance for granted. He had lost so much, but this was the life he had always wanted.

Pepper smiled as she kissed him back. The two of them sat together for a while before she heard Morgan crying through the monitor. “How’s she awake already? It’s barely been an hour,” she sighed, climbing off of Tony’s lap. 

Disappearing inside the house, Pepper went to their daughter’s room and found Morgan standing in her crib, crying and reaching for her mother. “Oh, what’s wrong little one?” Picking her daughter up from her crib, Pepper cuddled her close. 

After a quick diaper and outfit change, Pepper carried Morgan back downstairs. She went back to the porch, but found that Tony wasn’t there anymore. “Daddy must be in the garage,” she said, kissing her little girl’s cheek. She’d let Tony have some time to himself for a bit. Looking at Morgan, she smiled. "Do you want a snack?”

“Yeah,” Morgan nodded, still a little sleepy from her cat nap. “Boo-berry?”

Pepper grinned when she heard her daughter. She sounded just like her father. “You want some blueberries? I think we have some in the fridge.” 


	4. Year Three - 2021

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uncle Happy comes for a visit and gets an interesting lesson about Spider-Man bedtime stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I realized after I started posting this fic that I messed up my own timeline of events and had to fix the chapter names. Essentially the first chapter is the year of the snap... which means chapter 2 and beyond are the gap years between the snap and "Endgame". So even though this is the fourth chapter, this is only the third year after the snap. Hopefully this doesn't confuse anyone. So sorry! 
> 
> But thank you for all the love and support for this story. I truly appreciate it <3

* * *

 

“Hey Squirt, when did you get so big?” Happy grinned when he saw his goddaughter. Morgan was two and a half now, walking and talking like a pro now. The toddler ran over to Happy, giggling wildly as he scooped her up in his arms.

Pepper smiled when she saw Happy with her daughter. Ever since Morgan had been born, the two of them had this special little bond that she thought was adorable. Maybe it was because Happy had been one of their closest friends for almost two decades, or maybe it was because one of Morgan’s words was “Happy”, but regardless of the reason, it was so sweet. 

She was grabbing lemonade from the fridge when Tony came downstairs. “Hey Hap, when did you get here?” He smiled at his friend before tickling underneath Morgan’s chin. “Did Uncle Happy get you?”

Morgan giggled as she wiggled in Happy’s arms while he tickled her. 

“What brings you around?” Tony asked his friend. It had been a while since Happy last visited. “Traveling the world getting boring for you?"

“Pep invited me over for dinner and I wasn’t going to say no to visiting my goddaughter. I mean, you send a million pictures of her a week, but it’s nice to visit. And what are you even talking about? I left New York once.”

Pepper rolled her eyes as she listened to them go back and forth, then she saw the look on Morgan’s face and she almost died laughing. Everyone’s attention turned to her and Pepper laughed even harder. “Sorry, it’s just…” she couldn’t even get it out. Morgan had the same side-eye as her and Pepper couldn’t even comprehend how funny it was. It was actually terrifying too, because between her side-eye and Tony’s puppy-dog eyes, Pepper knew those eyes would come back to haunt her one day.

Morgan wiggled again, asking to be put down, so when Happy lowered her to the ground, the toddler ran over to her mom. “Momma has the giggles.” 

“Momma sure does,” Pepper laughed and handed Morgan a sippy cup full of water. “Why don’t you and Dad go show Uncle Happy the duck family that lives outside?” She suggested and Morgan grinned.

“Okay!” The toddler nodded and ran back over to her uncle. “You gotta see!”

Following Happy and Morgan outside, Tony blew Pepper a kiss before closing the door behind them. She turned back to the counter, getting back to making their dinner. She was making cheeseburgers, as a request from Morgan… which was fitting.  

Outside, Morgan stomped on the ground as she went over to a little grassy patch near the water. “We have duckies,” she said, pointing to the spot where the nest had been. The ducklings had hatched a while ago, but the little brood would come around often. 

“Oh wow, that’s so cool,” Happy grinned as he listened to Morgan chat about the ducks that lived around here. “You must see a lot of cool animals. Ducks, rabbits, deer… it’s the perfect place.”

“Mhmm.” Morgan said, then took her uncle’s hand and pulled him toward her little tent set up.

Happy was impressed with everything their friends had here. Tony had every resource he could to give his daughter absolutely everything in the world, but he knew how living in the spotlight messed Tony up, so it was refreshing to know his friends were giving their daughter the most normal life she could have. 

Morgan disappeared inside her little tent, then reappeared with little crochet toys of the Avengers. “Wanna play?” 

Happy grinned as he took the little toys, noticing there was one of each of the Avengers… and one of a certain Spider guy he knew. “Hey, I know this guy,” he said, sitting down on the picnic blanket. 

“That’s Spider-Man,” Morgan smiled. “Daddy tell me stories ‘bout him.”

“Oh yeah?” Happy nodded. Looking at her. “What kind of stories?”

“Bedtime stories.” Morgan said, playing with her two favorites, Iron Man and a purple Iron Man that her dad called Rescue. “He says Spider-Man would swing from buildings and fight crime. He’s a superhero.” 

“He certainly was,” he agreed. Listening to his goddaughter talk about Spider-Man brought a tear to Happy’s eye. He remembered complaining so many times about keeping an eye on the kid, but Tony had trusted him with Peter and now that he was gone, he missed him quite often. He checked in with May pretty often, helping her with her work. 

~

Once dinner and been eaten and after Happy had left, Pepper had a few things to work on for the company, leaving bath and bedtime duties to Tony. They would alternate bath time duties, allowing them both to have an hour or so for work.

“Come on, Morguna. Bath time,” Tony scooped his daughter up, swinging her over to Pepper for a quick kiss.

Pepper chuckled, kissing her daughter’s forehead. “Enjoy your bath, sweetie,” she smiled, grabbing her laptop so she could sit outside on the patio and enjoy the evening. 

Carrying Morgan to the upstairs bathroom, Tony held his daughter as if she was flying. “Iron Baby coming in for the landing,” he said, laughing when Morgan sounded like she was landing an airplane.

Tony started filling the tub, then let Morgan pick out her bubbles for the evening, letting her help pour them in… then laughing when they poured in too much. “Okay, in the tub you go.” 

He let Morgan splash around and play with her bath toys for a little while before he started washing her hair. He was always careful to not get soap in her eyes while he rinsed. It was during these moments when Tony felt incredibly lucky to have this time with his daughter. He still couldn’t believe that he finally had the family he always wanted. 

“Daddy, how does Uncle Happy know Spider-Man?” Morgan looked up at him with puzzled eyes, then her eyes widened like she figured out a secret. “Is Uncle Happy a superhero like him?” 

Tony shook his head with a laugh. “No he’s not… but Uncle Happy knows a lot of people,” he laughed and looked at his daughter. “Now, come on, we’ve gotta finish washing up.”

Once bath time was over, Tony drained the tub and grabbed a towel from the towel warmer to wrap Morgan up. As soon as she was dried off and in her PJs, Tony carried their daughter over to her room and tucked her into bed. He grabbed a book from the bookshelf while Morgan figured out which stuffed animal she was going to snuggle up with this time.

“Daddy, tell me a Spider-Man story… please?!” Morgan said, curling up with her toys. 

Tony should’ve known that was coming, but he had no problem doing that. He liked seeing how excited Morgan got when she heard the stories about Peter. “Okay… what story haven’t you heard?” He had to think about it, but then came up with one where Spider-Man saved a family of ducks trying to cross the street. It obviously wasn’t something Peter had actually done, but it was a good story to tell his two-and-a-half year old daughter. 

As soon as Morgan fell asleep, Tony tucked her in and kissed the top of her head before turning out the light and closed the door. 

Heading back downstairs, he found his wife sitting outside, laptop propped in her lap while she typed vigorously. Pouring them each a glass of wine, he carried them outside before sitting beside her. “Angry at someone?” He asked, passing her one of the glasses.

Pepper grinned, setting aside the laptop to take the glass. “No, just getting something squared away for the foundation,” she said, swirling the contents of the glass before taking a sip. “You know… working from home is fun. I wish I hadn’t spent so much time at the office before.” 

“Well, you were in charge of a multi-billion dollar tech conglomerate,” Tony grinned. “You were doing important work. I never blamed you for that. I’m just glad that you’re not bored working from home.”

“Bored? Being here with you and Morgan is the highlight of my day,” Pepper smiled back. “I enjoy the time I get to go to the city for a few hours to work on things, but being here with you two is so much better. I love it.”

Leaning in for a quick kiss, she rested her head against his shoulder. “I love you, Tony.”

“I love you too, Pep,” Tony kissed the top of her head. They were quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying each other’s company while the sky turned dark and the stars soon began to shine. Then, as they finished up their wine and were curled up together on the seat, Tony looked at his wife. “What if we tried for another baby?”

Pepper was surprised hearing his question, but smiled. “Do you want to try for another baby?”

Tony smiled, leaning in to kiss her again. “Why not?"


	5. Year Four - 2022

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Tony's birthday and his girls are going to make sure he has the best one yet.

"You have to be quiet. Daddy’s still sleeping,” Pepper told her three year old daughter as they climbed the stairs down to the kitchen. “Do you know what today is?” She had a feeling Morgan didn’t know, but their daughter was already so intelligent. 

“Daddy’s birthday!” Morgan grinned, then covered her mouth. “Oops.”

Pepper laughed when she heard their daughter, ruffling her hair as she brought her over to the fridge. “That’s right,” she smiled, grabbing some things from the fridge. “Today’s his birthday, so we’re going to cook him breakfast.” In the past, Tony’s birthday usually called for some stupidly extravagant party that ended up with him passed out in his bed. But now, they consisted of cuddles with their daughter and home cooked meals. It was a pleasant change that Pepper was happy to comply with. “Do you think Dad wants eggs?”

“Yeah, and bacon!” Morgan said as she climbed onto her step-stool to stand at the counter by her mom. “And cheese. Lotsa cheese.”

“You’re just like your dad,” Pepper smiled when she heard her. “Okay. Let’s make a bacon omelet, with lots of cheese, yeah?” Morgan nodded in agreement and Pepper laughed again. She knew they were going to wake Tony with all their laughing, but she figured he wouldn’t mind. Morgan’s laughter was one of the best sounds in the world.

Pepper had Morgan help whisk the eggs while she got the bacon sizzling in the pan. Looking back to see Morgan stirring the eggs in the bowl, she couldn’t help but smile. She had never been one to think that having a baby would change everything in her life, but Pepper honestly did feel that Morgan had changed their lives. This little girl brought so much joy into their lives (especially after losing so much), that she felt incredibly lucky. 

“All done,” Morgan said as she showed her mom the contents of the bowl. The eggs weren’t completely whisked together, but Pepper could fix that. 

“Thank you baby girl,” Pepper said and took the bowl, giving one last quick whisk to mix it together. “Now… let’s see, what comes next?”

“Umm… we have to cook it?” Morgan looked at her mom, grinning when Pepper nodded. “Can I help?” 

Pepper shook her head. “No, the stove is too hot and I don’t want you to burn yourself,” she told her daughter. “But, you know what you can do?” Morgan shook her head. Heading back to the fridge, she grabbed the containers of berries they picked at the farmer’s market the other day. “Will you pick some of these and put them in a bowl for me?”

Morgan nodded, standing on her tiptoes while she picked blueberries one at a time to put them in the small bowl her mom handed her.

While Morgan was occupied with that, Pepper began cooking up the omelet. Cooking was something she had always enjoyed, but something about cooking for her whole family now and teaching Morgan about fresh food and gardening was so much better. Everything had a different meaning these days. 

Once the omelet was finished, Pepper turned off the heat and put a lid on the pan so the cheese could melt. Grabbing the tray that had been a mother’s day gift to her a couple years ago, Pepper began plating up the breakfast she and her daughter had worked hard on. Morgan handed her the bowl of berries with a smile. “Thank you,” Pepper smiled and once that was good, she grabbed the omelet and slid it onto the plate. “Perfect. Do you remember where we put Dad’s present? Why don’t you grab that and I’ll carry this upstairs.”

Morgan ran to find the gift bag they had hidden a few days ago. Grabbing the tray off the counter, Pepper began the trek back up the stairs. “Come on baby girl,” she said and chuckled when Morgan was ahead of her already. The little girl knocked on the door to her parent’s bedroom before opening the door. 

Forgetting she was holding onto the gift bag, Morgan dropped it by the door and ran over to her dad. “Happy Birthday, Daddy!” She sang as she ran over to Tony’s side of the bed. Though, Tony didn’t move. “Daddy?” Morgan climbed onto the bed. “Daddy?” she poked him, then squealed when Tony’s arms moved around her, gripping her into a big bear hug. 

“Good morning, Morguna” Tony laughed, wrapping his arms around his daughter, tickling her as he pressed a kiss against her cheek. When he saw Pepper enter the room, tray in her hands, he smiled.  “What’s this?”

“It’s your birthday!” Morgan said, trying to wiggle out of his arms. “We made you breakfast.”

Tony smiled at his wife and daughter, kissing Morgan’s cheek once more before letting her go. “My birthday? Since when?”

“Since always, silly!” Morgan told him. “We made your favorite and I helped, right Mommy?” 

Nodding, Pepper placed the tray in front of Tony, kissing his cheek before sitting on the edge of the bed. “Yes she did, Little Miss is getting so big now. Happy Birthday, honey.” 

Tony leaned in to quickly kiss Pepper before digging into his bacon omelet. “Mmm, my favorite. Thank you, Morguna.”

Morgan giggled as she then remembered she dropped the gift bag by the door. Climbing down from the bed, she ran over to get the bag. “Daddy, we got you a present! You hafta open it.”

“Morgan, let dad eat his breakfast first,” Pepper laughed, reaching over to run her hand through her daughter’s hair. “Don’t worry, we’ve got time. Dad’s birthday lasts all day.” 

Tony pulled Morgan close so the little girl was sitting in his lap, allowing her to eat some of the berries she helped with. This was his favorite way to spend the day, whether or not it was even his birthday. Just having Pepper and Morgan here was the greatest. He thought about the people he lost every single day and how he was trying to think of a way to bring them back, but then he looked at Morgan and never wanted to go back to that. She was his entire world now. He loved his family so much. 

Once he had finished his breakfast and was enjoy birthday cuddles with his family, Tony finally reached for the gift bag that his daughter had been itching for him to open. “Okay, okay… let’s see. I see a card.” He opened the one clearly made by Morgan first. The card had stick figure drawings of her and her dad, then in the background was the lake and some sunshine. Her writing wasn’t the best yet, but with Pepper’s help, the card said: _Happy Birthday, Daddy!_

“Oh wow,” Tony smiled, still feeling like the luckiest man in the world. Wrapping his arm around his daughter, he kissed the top of her head. “Did you draw this? It’s a masterpiece!” Morgan grinned when she heard him, then passed him the bag. Looking inside, he pulled out the small little gifts. The first, a macaroni necklace that was clearly another Morgan masterpiece, then a dark blue pullover sweater with a smiley face on it. “I love it. Did you pick this out?”

“Yeah!” Morgan smiled and hugged her dad. “Mommy said you’d like it.” 

Pepper nodded in agreement. “Happy Birthday, honey,” she said, leaning in to kiss Tony. 

“Thanks, Pep,” Tony kissed her back, then again before pulling away. “When do we get to have birthday cake?” 


	6. Year Five - 2023

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A combined last chapter and epilogue finds our timeline has caught up and our heroes are in the ultimate fight for their lives. How will it end?
> 
> SPOILER ALERT: This chapter contains major spoilers for "Avengers: Endgame". I'd be surprised if you haven't seen the movie yet, but if you haven't and want to avoid spoilers, I would stay away from this one!

* * *

 

“Look out!” Morgan squealed as she came running around the corner and through the living room. 

Pepper was chopping up some carrots and celery at the kitchen counter when she heard their daughter running around. “Be careful,” she reminded her with a chuckle. Morgan (now four years old) had bumped her head last week, so she didn’t want there to be any injuries this time around. “What are you even doing, Little Miss?” 

Though, before the little girl could answer, Tony came running around the same corner and Morgan shrieked with laughter. Tony was wearing a red cape as he chased his daughter around the house. “I’m going to get you,” he sang, looking for her. 

Morgan was hiding behind the sofa before she popped up and held her arm out. On her hand was a little glove that looked like an Iron Man gauntlet, part of a set she got for her birthday from Uncle Rhodey. “Stay back,” she giggled. “That’s an order.” When Tony crept closer to her, she held out her hand again. “Pew… Pew…” she said, ‘shooting’ repulser blasts at him. 

Tony stopped when she ‘got’ him. Clutching his hand over this chest, he laughed. “Oh no… the Mighty Morguna strikes again!”

Listening from the kitchen, Pepper couldn’t help but smile. Their lives had changed so much since their daughter had been born - at first, Pepper thought it would be hard to adjust. She had been so used to living a fast-paced life and being in charge of the company, that having a family didn’t seem like it was ever in her plans. But now as she watched her husband and their daughter, this felt right. She didn’t want anything else. 

She was chopping the last carrot when she soon heard glass shattering and a little voice in the background saying “Oops”. Putting the knife down, she went to check what happened, making sure no one was hurt. 

“What happened?” Pepper asked, then saw the remnants of the crystal vase her mother had passed down to her. Looking at her daughter, then her husband… she was not pleased. Morgan was going to hug her mom when Pepper stopped her. “No… no, I don’t want you to step on the glass. I need you to go outside please, so I can clean this up.”

“Sorry Mommy…” Morgan pouted as she ran outside to hide in her little tent. 

Tony sighed when he heard his daughter, then looked at Pepper. “It was an accident.” 

“I know, but this was my mom’s…” Pepper sighed as she grabbed the broom and dustpan. “It was her mom’s before that and I was hoping one day I could pass it down to Morgan.” It was a family heirloom. She didn’t mean to get so frustrated with her daughter, but this was something that couldn’t be replaced.

“I’ll finish cleaning up so you can finish lunch,” Tony said, kissing her cheek before taking the broom from her. 

Going back to the kitchen, Pepper looked out the window to see Morgan crawling into her little tent. She remembered when Morgan opened it for Christmas a couple years ago and it was still one of her favorite things. Turning to the stove, she worked on finishing lunch. 

Tony finished cleaning up the glass from the vase and went over to his wife, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “I love you,” he said, kissing her cheek, then smiled. “Lunch smells fantastic. I’ll go check on Morgan.”

Heading outside, Tony made his way over to where the little tent had been set up. “Chow time! Morguna…” He called out to her. “Morgan H. Stark. You want some lunch?”

Morgan’s little hand emerged from the tent, then she stepped out, wearing the helmet for a special suit he had been working on. “Define lunch, or be disintegrated,” she said, holding up her ‘gauntlet’.

Tony held up his hands, then looked at his daughter. “You should not be wearing that… it’s part of a special anniversary gift I’m making mom.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek before taking the helmet off. “How did you even find this?”

“The garage,” Morgan replied, smiling at her dad. 

“Were you looking for it?” Tony grinned when he saw that similar smirk on his daughter’s face.

“No, but I found it.” Morgan said, giggling when her dad picked her up about to carry her back to house when she looked at him. “Is Mommy still mad? I didn’t mean to break it.” She asked, referring to the vase. 

“Mommy’s not mad,” Tony told her as he walked back to the house. “She’s just sad because her mommy gave it to her, but it’s okay. We’ll just have to say sorry to her.” 

As they walked up to the house, Tony heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Turning around, he thought maybe it was Happy or Rhodey… but was surprised to see three other familiar faces looking back at him. 

“Who’s that?” Morgan whispered as she looked around, being shy. She had never met them before, but for some reason they looked familiar. 

Tony was silent for a moment before kissing his daughter’s cheek. “Why don’t you tell Mom we have some visitors,” he said, setting Morgan down and she ran into the house. 

“Mommy… Daddy said we have visitors!” The little girl ran over to her Mom, tugging on her sleeve. “Mommy!” 

Though, Pepper already saw who was there. She felt angry, wondering why the three were visiting after all this time… then she thought about the worst. However, it was Morgan that pulled her out of it. “What? Oh, yes… those are some of Dad’s friends from work.” It felt strange saying _friends_ , because they hadn’t actually talked to them in years and she was certain Tony didn’t ever want to talk to them again. But here they were. 

“Who’s that?” Morgan got onto her step stool so she could look out the window. She saw the lady with the pretty red hair in a long braid. “She’s pretty.”

“She’s very pretty,” Pepper smiled when she heard her daughter. “That’s Natasha Romanoff, she’s an old friend of Daddy's. Now… why don’t you help me set the table?”

Morgan nodded, jumping off the stool and helped her mom with the table setting. Though, she noticed her mom was distracted and kept looking out the window. “Mommy? Daddy looks upset.” 

Pepper turned back to her daughter, smiling at her. “Why don’t you go get him? He looks like he needs some saving.”

The little girl nodded and went outside, crawling into her dad’s lap. “Mommy told me to come and save you,” she said, smiling when she felt her dad wrap his arms around her. 

“Good job, I’m saved,” Tony smiled, holding his daughter tight. Getting up with Morgan in his arms, he looked at his former team members. “Look, I’m glad to see you guys, I really am… but I can’t risk this. Table’s set for six. If you don’t talk shop, you can stay.”

However, the three left with a quick goodbye and Morgan hugged her dad again. “She had pretty hair,” she said, looking at him. 

Tony smiled, because his daughter had no idea what they had just talked about and her innocence about it all was so sweet. “She did have pretty hair, didn’t she?” He kissed her cheek before heading back inside. It was going to be a long day.

 ~ 

"Shit!” Tony covered his mouth when he looked at the hologram in front of him. How the hell did he just figure this out? There was no way he solved the problem of time travel. He had only intended to look at it, see what he could do. But then he looked at Peter’s picture earlier and _dammit_ , he felt like he had to do something. They sounded certain they could try something and poor Natasha looked so broken. But time travel…? Pepper was going to kill him.

He was about to look into the details of the hologram when he heard a little voice behind him. “Shit.”

Turning around, Tony found his daughter sitting on the bottom step. “What are you doing up Little Miss?” He asked, wondering why Morgan took after him. When she repeated it again, he shook his head. “No, we don’t say that word. Only Mommy says it. She coined it. It belongs to her.” he said. 

“What are you doing up?” Morgan asked, peeking over at the hologram. 

“I’m working on important shit,” Tony chuckled, then saw the look on Morgan’s face, it was the same classic look she got from her mother. “But you’re supposed to be asleep. I’ve got a lot on my mind tonight.” 

“Was it juice pops?” Morgan said, getting up to look at her dad. 

Tony looked at the hologram once more before turning it off. “That’s extortion,” he told his daughter, but took her hand. “Come on.” 

He grabbed a juice pop for Morgan before bringing her back up to her room. Luckily Pepper was taking a bath and didn’t hear of them… because he knew he’d be in trouble later. 

“Will you tell me a story?” Morgan asked as she took the last couple bite of her juice pop before her dad took it. 

“A story? You just got three of them,” Tony chuckled as he tucked her back to sleep. “Once upon a time, Morguna went to bed. The end.”

“That’s a _terrible_  story,” Morgan looked at her dad and smiled. Curling up with her teddy bear, she looked up at him. 

“Love you tons,” Tony said, kissing his daughter’s cheek as he tucked her in. 

“I love you, three thousand,” Morgan grinned up at him.

“Wow…” Tony felt his heart almost burst. How had he gotten so incredibly lucky to have this little girl in his life. Kissing her again, he went over to the door. “Three thousand? Now go to bed, or I’m selling all your toys.”

Closing the door to his daughter’s room, he went back downstairs. Pepper had returned from her bath and was now sitting on the sofa, reading something. 

“Not that it’s a contest, but our daughter loves _me_ three thousand…” Tony smirked at his wife. 

Pepper looked at his smirk and laughed. “Oh does she now?”

“You were somewhere in the six to nine hundred range,” he said, realizing he had to tell her about his discovery. But he held it off for a moment. “What are you reading?”

“A book about composting,” Pepper told him. She wanted to continue to work on the garden that had just started thriving. 

“I think I solved it…” Tony spoke up, arms crossed over his chest, looking over at his wife. 

“And so we’re talking about the same thing…” Pepper looked at him, brows furrowed.

“Time travel.” 

That’s when Pepper put her book down. “Oh…” she said quietly, thinking about it for a minute. She knew they had gotten so lucky these past five years and if there was the slightest chance that Tony might be able to help get everyone back… then he had to go. 

But when he started rambling about how he should throw the plans in the bottom of the lake and go to bed, she shook her head. “Tony… getting you to stop has been one of the greatest failures of my life,” she looked at him. “Sounds like you can help a lot of people.”

“But I don’t _have_ to.” Tony told her, looking at her with the damn puppy dog eyes that Pepper had fallen in love with all those years ago. 

“But will you rest?”

~

They spent that night together in each other’s arms, showing each other how much they loved one another. They didn’t get much sleep that night, afraid this could be their last night together. So as the clock ticked, they continued to love on one another until they eventually fell asleep.

When Pepper woke the next morning, Tony was already out of bed, showering and getting ready. Tying her robe around her waist after climbing out of bed, she went to start a pot of coffee and stared out the window, hoping this would all be worth it. She was incredibly proud of her husband… nothing would ever change that. 

“Morning,” Tony soon entered the kitchen, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind, kissing her neck. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Pepper smiled when she heard him. "Make sure you say goodbye to Morgan before you leave.”

“Already planned on it,” Tony told her.

The two enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee out on the porch, enjoying the serene moment. The calm before the storm before Tony soon went back inside. Putting his mug in the sink he soon saw Morgan coming downstairs. “Good morning, Mighty Morguna,” he grinned, picking his daughter up for a hug.

“Where are you going?” She asked, looking at him.

“Daddy has something to do for work… but I’ll be back soon.” Tony kissed her cheek.

“Love you,” Morgan hugged him, looking at him as she was lowered back to the floor. “Will you be home later?” 

“I’ll be home as soon as I can.” Tony smiled. “I love you three thousand, Morgan.”

After Tony left, Pepper came inside to get breakfast ready for her daughter. “What do you want to do today, Little Miss?” 

“Mommy, you’re still in your PJs,” Morgan giggled when she saw her mom in her robe.

“So are you, silly goose!” Pepper laughed when she heard her. “Come on, let’s eat some breakfast, then let’s see if Uncle Happy wants to hang out today.”

“Okay!” Morgan said, watching out the window as her dad’s car disappeared down the road. “Can we play in the garage?” She soon asked her mom.

~

It was a few days later when there was a knock on the door. Opening it to reveal a man wearing some kind of ancient garb, Pepper looked at him. “Can I help you?”

“Miss Potts, we need your help,” the man told her, looking like he was in a hurry. 

“It’s Mrs. Stark now… and who are you?” Pepper asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“My name is Wong… I was sent here by Dr. Steven Strange. The Avengers need our help,” he explained.

Pepper shook her head. “I don’t have a suit and I can’t leave my daughter.”

“Your husband needs your help,” Wong told her. 

Pepper shook her head, but knew that it was serious if he said that. “I have to get a sitter… and figure something out.”

Wong nodded, but looked at her. “You don’t have a lot of time, but we’ll make sure to count you in.”

Happy came as quick as he could and Pepper barely had time to explain what was happening, but she definitely made sure to talk to Morgan. 

“We love you, so much,” Pepper said, hugging her daughter. “I have to go help Daddy, but we’ll be home before you know it,” she told her. Pepper knew that was a bad promise to make, but she had to reassure Morgan that everything was going to be okay. 

“Mommy, you have to check the garage,” Morgan told her as she hugged her tightly. “I love you, Mommy.”

“I love you too, Morgan.” Pepper kissed Morgan’s cheek and let her run over to Happy, who promised to keep her safe. Making her way to the garage, Pepper checked inside like Morgan told her too. She rarely came in here, since it was Tony’s space, but what she found surprised her. 

There it was, another suit. However, it wasn’t like any of the suits she was used to making. This one was more feminine, like it was made just for _her_. 

Getting into the suit, FRIDAY greeted her.

_Hello Miss Potts_ _…_ _running_ _diagnostics simulation now. Where are you headed this evening?_

“Avengers facility… apparently I’m needed there,” she said, allowing the suit to start up. “Let’s go.”

This hadn’t been the first time she’d been in a suit, but it had been a long time. Soon, FRIDAY locked in the coordinates and Pepper was making her way to Avengers HQ, preparing herself for the fight of their lives. 

Everyone was there. Pepper didn’t recognize most of them, but she did recognize that familiar Spider suit from afar. She could see Tony giving Peter that hug he had been desperately hoping to give him these past five years, it was like his broken heart was finally being pieced back together. 

This fight was insane. Pepper hadn’t been this involved in anything before, and it was terrifying. Just as she thought they were getting closer to winning, something happened. Watching from afar, she saw Thanos take the gauntlet again… and she she thought this was it. They were about to lose everything. But then, she saw Tony and those shiny jewels on his arms. Landing on her two feet, she wanted to run over to him, stop this from happening, but she could only watch, frozen in fear.

“And I… am… _Iron Man_ ,” Tony looked at Thanos, then with no hesitation, snapped his fingers and everything went black.

Thanos and his army turned to dust… just as he made half of all living creatures turn to dust five years earlier. Everything was silent for a moment, then Pepper panicked. “Tony!?” She called for her husband. 

Rhodey found Tony first, resting against some debris. Then Peter was there next, sobbing as he found his mentor dying before his eyes. 

“Mr. Stark… we won!” Peter was hysterical. “Tony… I’m sorry.”

That’s when Pepper found her husband. She had known Tony for over two decades. She had known this was a possibility from the spot. Looking at Peter, she offered the teen a smile as she kneeled beside her husband. “FRIDAY?”

_Vitals are critical_ , the AI announced.

Tony offered her a smile, knowing he was taking his last few breaths. “Hey Pep."

“Tony, look at me,” Pepper said, smiling back at him. “You are the strongest man I know… you’ve given me the best five years of marriage I could’ve ever asked for. I love you so damn much. But you can’t go yet. This isn’t your time.” She could see him fading and she put her hand on his cheek. “Tony, stay with me. Please don’t go.”

She was catatonic as some of the others worked to get Tony to safety. Honestly, she wasn’t even sure how it happened, but in less than five minutes, they were transported from the battlefield to a lab in Wakanda, where they began operating on Tony. She was sitting with Rhodey and the other remaining Avengers while they waited. Pepper refused to leave until she had gotten some word on how he was doing.

It was hours later before someone finally came to talk to them. “Mrs. Stark?” A young woman made her way toward them. “We had to amputate his right arm… and he’ll most likely be blind in one eye, but we were able to save him. I will say that he’s in a medically induced coma for the time being, but I anticipate that he will recover.” 

Pepper let out the breath she had been holding for hours and she was so relieved she started to cry. “When can I see him?” 

Shuri brought them back to the room where Tony was sleeping. Pepper thought he still looked half-dead, and she knew it wasn’t going to be an easy recovery, but she was so damn relieved that it didn’t matter now. Leaning down to kiss his forehead, she lingered for a moment. “I told you it wasn’t your time yet…” she whispered and looked at him. “I love you, Tony Stark.”

_~_

_~_

~

**_Epilogue: Six Weeks Later_ **

“Are you Spider-Man?” Morgan looked up at Peter with curious eyes. “You’re in the picture my Daddy has. He told me lots of bedtime stories about you."

Peter looked down at the little girl who was holding his hand. When he learned that Tony had a daughter, he wondered what else he had missed out on in the apparent five years he had missed out on. Smiling at her, he squeezed her little hand. “I sure am. He really told you stories?”

“Yeah, like how you saved a family of duckies trying to cross the road,” Morgan smiled at him. 

For a moment, Peter had no idea what the little girl was talking about, but he smiled anyway. “Yeah I did. Made sure they all made it home safe and sound,” he told her. “So Morgan… what do you like to do here for fun?” 

Everyone was gathered at the cabin for Tony’s welcome home party. He had finally been released from the hospital, but his road to recovery was just beginning. He wasn’t strong enough for his new arm yet, plus, he was losing sight in his right eye and he was still badly burnt, but Tony was determined to recover for his wife and daughter. 

While Rhodey and the others helped him back to the house, Tony smiled when he could hear laughter of all the kids playing outside. Pepper wanted to be there with him when he was released, but Tony encouraged her to be home with Morgan when he arrived, wanting them to be surprised.

Pepper saw him from the window and went to open the door. “Hey honey,” she smiled, leaning in to kiss him gently. “I love you so much. Morgan’s going to be so happy to see you.” Even though she had prepared their daughter for this, Pepper was still nervous that Morgan would be scared to see Tony’s current state. 

“It’ll be fine, Pep…” Tony said with that trademarked smile of his. “Where’s our little Morguna?” 

Bringing him out back, Pepper smiled as Rhodey helped Tony into a chair and smiled when she saw the joy on Tony’s face when he saw Peter and Morgan running around the yard together. It took a moment, but Peter noticed them first, then knelt down so he was at Morgan’s level. “Hey… I think someone’s here to see you,” he said, tilting his head toward the porch.

Morgan turned to see who it was. “Daddy!” She squealed, running over to see him. Arms wide open, she didn’t slow down as she climbed up the stairs to see him. “Daddy!”

“Morgan, remember be gentle,” Pepper reminded her, but her worries soon faded when Morgan wrapped her arms around her dad. 

“I’ve missed you!” The little girl told him. “Mommy said you were in the hospital…” Looking him over, she could see he looked different. “You have an ow?” 

Tony chuckled, using his one arm to hug his daughter. “I do, but the doctor’s fixed me up and there’s nothing to worry about. I’m going to be just fine,” he kissed her forehead. “I love you, Morgan.”

Pepper smiled as she watched them, she soon caught a glance at Peter and waved to him. She was so glad to finally have everyone back. Everything was falling back into place.

Soon, Morgan and the other kids began to play out in the yard again, and while everyone else was mingling, Pepper sat beside her husband. It was going to take some getting used to, seeing him scarred and losing his arm, but Tony was alive and well… and she needed to remember that. Especially for what she was about to tell him. 

“Hey… how’re you feeling?” She asked him with a smile. “Do you need anything?” 

Tony shook his head, using his good arm to take her hand. “I’m fine. Everything’s going to be okay… I can’t believe that.” 

“Well, you better believe it,” Pepper smiled, gently squeezing his hand. “Because I have something I need to tell you.” Leaning in close so she could whisper in his ear, she smiled. “I’m pregnant.” 

**_To be continued..._ **

* * *

_AN: Thank you so much to everyone that's read and supported this story. It's not perfect, but it's definitely something that I've been wanting and needing to write since I saw_ Avengers: Endgame.  _I feel like as much as I enjoyed the movie, I'm equally disappointed with how the story ended for my hero and his family. So, I hope this story has brought some of you joy and the closure that you needed. I wasn't sure how I wanted to end this story, but I'm already thinking of a sequel... so this is where I leave you now. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart <3_

**Author's Note:**

> While I still liked the movie, I will forever hate the ending for obvious reasons. I know the movie was a million-hours long and we’ll never get to see some of the missing scenes I wish we got to see, this story is to hopefully help fill in some of the gaps we were missing. I do not own these characters (although I wish I did). This story is for me to find some closure, but also for those looking some good ol' fashioned Pepperony goodness.
> 
> PS - I know there might be some confusion regarding the timeline of the story. Considering the movie itself had a very confusing one, I'm essentially sticking with the fact that it canonically takes place five years after Infinity War. This will fill in the five year gap.
> 
> PPS - Also, this has not been beta'd. I take responsibility for any mistakes.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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